Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on Thursday that sporting and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen with limited capacity.
DeWine originally allowed sports and entertainment venues to reopen at 15 percent capacity on August 21. The latest order will allow sports and entertainment venues to reopen at 25 percent capacity of indoor seating and 30 percent capacity of outdoor seating.
The governor praised vaccine distribution as the reason the state can open up seating.
“The vaccines have given us great hope, but until we have enough Ohioans vaccinated, we must continue masking and social distancing,” DeWine said in a statement on Thursday. “Easing up on some prevention measures is intended to serve as a starting point. If the trajectory of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continues downward, we hope to be able to relax more of these measures. If it gets worse, we may have to tighten up.”
More than 1.5 million people in Ohio have received at least their first dose of the vaccine, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Sporting and entertainment events will be able to reopen with 25% maximum indoor capacity and 30% maximum outdoor capacity provided they follow established precautions. This is a start. If the situation improves in spring/summer, this could be expanded.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) February 25, 2021
General admission (lawns, standing room, infields) will be allowed as long as masks are worn, and 6-foot distancing can be marked/maintained.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) February 25, 2021
Venues will be required to follow safety protocol, including mandatory mask wearing for both venue employees and customers, pathways that allow for social distancing and seating in groups at six-foot intervals with no more than six people from the same household.
DeWine’s most recent order allows for general admission like lawns, standing room and infield if masks are worn and customers can be separated by six feet.
Ohio saw an average of a little more than 2,100 new cases of the coronavirus each day for the past week, a drop from the average of nearly 3,500 new cases each day the state saw the first week of February, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.
DeWine said that new guidance for proms, banquets, wedding receptions, fairs, festivals and parades will be published soon.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
